Red Cross Macau Disaster Relief Affairs Officer Patrick Tam Wai Iat said Monday that even though 500 relief packages sent by Macau have already arrived in the quake-hit area of north-eastern Yunnan, it proved difficult for staff to deliver them to the victims since road blocks were set up on many roads while others were closed, which slowed down relief efforts.

Tam, who returned to Macau on Saturday after spending a week in the disaster area, said the victims still needed basic items such as clothing and food.

“They [victims] had no time to return to pick up their belongings… with the whole village being flooded. The only thing they have is the clothes on their backs so it helps a lot when they receive the packages,” said Tam.

“They need things like soap, toothbrushes, clothes and shoes, anything that can help them get through this tough time.”

Tam also said that the disaster area is mountainous and the roads connecting affected villages are narrow. He said that this was one of the most difficult relief efforts he had been involved with.

“It was quite easy to go up the mountain as it only took about 30 minutes, but it took us 90 minutes to come down since the road was quite dangerous,” said Tam, adding that rescue teams are yet to reach many of the villages.

Meanwhile, according to a Red Cross Macau statement Monday, the charity organisation has donated six ambulances to six hospitals in Longtoushan township. It also said that while the 500 relief packages from Macau had already been handed out to the victims, the organisation would distribute a further 1,500 relief packages stored in Sichuan.

According to the Red Cross Macau, it had received 14.69 million patacas in donations as of Monday.(macaunews/macaupost)